GNTC instructor advances in state Perkins Award contest
Crista Resch, director of Ultrasound programs at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, instructor of Vascular Sonography and winner of the college’s 2022 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year advanced as a regional finalist for the state award.
The Technical College System of Georgia named her one of nine regional winners on Tuesday, April 26, at the GOAL and Rick Perkins State Conference in Atlanta. She will learn whether she takes home the state award on Wednesday, April 27, during the conference awards banquet.
A panel of leaders from business, industry and government will choose one instructor to be the 2022 TCSG’s Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year. The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize. The Rick Perkins Award winner serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia and will make many public appearances throughout the year, including addressing both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.
Resch has been an instructor at GNTC since 2011. She directs all Sonography programs, which include Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Adult Echocardiography and Vascular Sonography. She is also GNTC’s instructor of Vascular Sonography.
Prior to joining Georgia Northwestern, she served as staff development coordinator and registered vascular technologist at Harbin Clinic. During nearly a decade at Harbin Clinic, Resch sat on the Advisory
Board for the Ultrasound programs at Georgia Northwestern and acted as the primary clinical instructor for GNTC’s Vascular Sonography students.
Resch said that her career-long dedication to technical education stems from her experience as a student in college.
“We provide the best education and preparation that our graduates need to be successful. I know this first-hand because of my own personal experience as a graduate of GNTC,” she said. “I graduated from the very first Vascular Technology program at GNTC when it was named Coosa Valley Technical College.”
After earning her associate degree in Vascular Technology at GNTC, Resch attended Reinhardt University in Waleska and received her bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration.
“Even though I have been here over 10 years now, every December when a new class graduates, passes their national board exams and obtains employment, the overwhelming feeling of pride and excitement never fades,” she said.
Resch also said that her experience as a technical college student has given her a better understanding of what students go through in their studies and clinicals.
“I know that I had a hand in helping them be able to accomplish their achievements,” Resch said. “Their success is important to me because I know the struggles they have faced along the way. I have been there. I have been in their shoes.”
Resch was a previous nominee for Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year at GNTC in 2021. Her professional accomplishments include Registered Vascular Technologist at the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 2013 to present; organization member of Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 2001 to present; and Basic Life Support Instructor at the American Heart Association, 2013 to present.
The most recent state winners to represent GNTC were 2019 Rick Perkins Award winner Leyner Argueta, program director of Business Management, and 2013 Rick Perkins Award winner, Troy Peco, director of the Automotive Technology program.